The Pendulum Effect
by Zenog
Summary: Well, I haven't got a clear idea of where the story's going, but so far, I've had Naruto saved from a mob by my OC (Yes, an OC! Don't worry, I'll try not to make him too powerful). As far as my plan right now for it? Eh, Naruto will train, become awesome, and do cool stuff. Beyond that, who knows?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If you recognize it from somewhere else, I don't own it. This is my story, with my one OC, but everything else belongs to Masashi Kishimoto or whoever else it might belong to.

"Blah" - Normal speech  
'Blah' - Thoughts  
/Blah/ - Telepathy

* * *

I was cornered, and my pursuers knew it. But even with only my instrument and a spare bow, I could still beat them. Everyone knows that an animal is most dangerous when cornered.

The strange masked assailants dropped down all around me. I put my violin in its special holder on my back, at the same time pulling out my spare bow.

The first just jumped straight at me. I held out the magically strengthened bow towards his body, and his throat was impaled on the end of it, until I kicked the now corpse off. I turned towards the rest of my enemies, just in time for one of them to finish making a series of symbols with their hands. They shouted something in a language I didn't understand, before I felt a huge wall of wind throw me backwards, and through some of the trees all around us.

I flipped upright, and threw my bow towards the man with outstanding speed and unerring accuracy. The sharpened metal point passed through his skull like a hot knife through butter, pushing him back and sticking him to the tree ten feet behind him. I rushed up and grabbed the bow before turning to the remaining two attackers. The pupil-less eyes of the one unnerved me slightly, but I held my ground.

The taller one drew a massive sword, and rushed me with surprising speed. Still using the bow, I blocked each strike with lightning fast reflexes, before slamming him in the side of the head with the same item. He crumpled to the ground, but I couldn't tell whether he was merely unconscious or in fact dead. The last attacker – and I say that loosely, since he didn't "attack" per se – stared at me, obviously marveling at how I had defeated their entire team with just a violin bow. I exerted all the will I could muster to speak directly into their mind.

/Who are you, and what do you want with me?/

Over the temporary mental link I had established, I felt surprise, shock, and a touch of anger. But I still learned my answer.

* * *

Five years ago, somewhere

* * *

I had no idea where I was. Actually, I had no memory whatsoever. The last thing I could remember was floating in a giant void of energy, and slowly dying within it. Then suddenly, I'm here, in this weird place that was, as far as I could tell, not where I was from. Yes, I wasn't in Kansas anymore for certain. I had been traveling for about a week in this forest, trying to find someone to talk to before I went mad from the unnatural silence. Well, also before I starved to death, but that was more secondary since I somehow knew how to 'live off the land,' however a nice hot meal that someone else made would've been welcome.

Finally, on this, the eleventh or twelfth day of my aimless wandering, I saw the edge of the forest. And I could swear that just beyond the treeline, I could see little wisps of smoke, as if from chimneys. I ran out towards the smoke as fast as I could, and almost over the cliff this town was up against. Of course there would be a cliff. How was I supposed to get down a cliff that was at least a thousand feet high without any climbing equipment? Then, it struck me. A few hundred feet away along the edge, I could see a waterfall. Of course, if there was a waterfall, then it would have to fall somewhere, right? So, carefully making my way along the edge, I crept towards the waterfall, intent on getting to the village below me.

After a few minutes of cautious walking, and a few close calls with an unstable edge, I was at the top of the waterfall. Now that I'm here, though, it's kind of a lot of water, and the plunge pool at the bottom looks really, really tiny. I probably shouldn't even be this close to the edge, but that's something to deal with once I survive the plunge. If I – no, wait, no, that's bad thinking! If I think like that I won't survive!

Steeling myself, I stepped off of the edge, trying to angle so I'd hit the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Even with the mental preparation, I still screamed like a little girl, before hitting the surface of the water and going under.

* * *

300 years ago, somewhere else

* * *

I lay on the soft grass, basking in the sunlight. Life was good. I had great friends, a loving family, and a—

"Poachers!" The cry shot through the tranquility of the lake, disrupting my happy thoughts.

—and a community to defend with my life. I dashed off, knowing that this was my time to make good on my promise of protection.

* * *

700 years ago, somewhere else

* * *

"So then, old friend. It is time, isn't it?"

/Regretfully, I have to say that it is./

"That's okay; we both know that I've been here for far too long."

/It does not change the fact that I will be sad to see you go. The last human who truly believes…/

"You know that's not—"

/It is, actually. You are the only one who has seen us and believes that we are real./

"What about that—"

/Dead. They all died two days ago in a freak accident at the League during a dinner he was holding. I expect that one of the last things you will do this time around is go to their joint funeral./

"And then we'll arrange it so that I disappear, just like old times?"

/Yes, just like old times./

It was a spectacular funeral, you know. It's positively amazing what happens when you have twenty-four people, including the League Champion and Elite Four, all die together, and then their families decide to hold the funerals together. It was amazing, but I wish that it didn't have to happen. They were all so young…

Of course, then I had to do the whole "disappear off the face of the earth" thing AGAIN, and the climb to the top of the mountain was difficult, as usual.

At the top, I took out my special flute, playing a short melody to let my friend know I was here. I climbed the stairs, and, at the top, a soft golden glow enveloped me, before there was blackness.

* * *

And... scene!

Thanks for actually reading this far! If you made it here without missing the giant squid battle flashback, good job! I wouldn't even know how you saw it, because that's going in Chapter 3 (Hurrah for spoilers!)! And, as they say here in , R&R! (I need the self-esteem boost.)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing, okay? NOTHING!

* * *

Three weeks ago

* * *

I sat up in the middle of the clearing, not knowing where I was. Well, at least this time around I remembered what had happened before. I looked around, and saw that the trees were stupidly large, large enough to build a house in, even. I also saw the curious eyes of animals all around the clearing, wondering where I could have come from. My friend always was one for flamboyancy. I probably appeared in the middle of this clearing in a bright ball of golden-y light that exploded to get me here. Yeah, that sounds like something she'd do. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. No matter—I need to find a shelter… Actually… a house inside a tree… That's not a bad idea.

I set to work as quickly as I could, hands pressed to the tree, exerting as much will as possible to change the structure of the inside of the tree. When I finally felt that the interior was done, I used a little more will to turn the part I was in front of into a door. I opened the door, and was extremely pleased with my work that I had done inside the tree. I stepped back outside, closing the door, and began a search for food.

Meanwhile, outside the forest…

"Somebody help me!"

"N'bodysh coming to help yeh, yeh little brat. I'm gonna finish the Yon… uh… Yon… eh, can't remember. That famoush guy wiff da fashe on de… de… de thingy."

I screamed in terror again, "Help!"

A masked figure dropped down from the branches of the trees above. "Now, now, now. We can't let you have all the fun, can we?"

"Watsh that? Can't quite hear yeh through de mashk."

"Never mind. Moving on, then." At some unseen signal, more masked figures dropped down all around me, and pulled out some really scary looking sharp things. I yelled one last time.

"Help!"

Back in the forest

After about five minutes, I'd found the most amazing apple tree nearby my new home and was enjoying some apples when I heard a cry. Believing I had imagined it, I kept eating. Then, I heard it again, but it was louder. This time, I knew it wasn't my imagination. I turned towards the sound, weighing consequences, before dashing towards it as fast as I could.

I arrived on the edge of the forest in moments, and, from what I could see, not a moment too soon. A small blond boy was sprawled on the ground, knocked unconscious from what I could see, and most certainly was surrounded by some extremely hostile looking figures.

"Now that that demon's out for the count, let's keep 'im that way. Whaddaya say, boys?" The speaker pulled out a kunai and stalked towards the prone form of the boy.

Deciding that I didn't want to see the man follow through with his current train of actions, I chose that moment to act. Putting on my most disarming psychic disguise, I dropped down out of the tree, landing in front of the man. I looked him straight in the eye and said, with a slight touch of malice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The man just laughed and replied, "And what could a kid like you do to me?"

I allowed a small smile to grace my face before I spoke.

"This."

The next thing anyone other than me knew, the man was on the ground, screaming in agony, and clutching at his head. I spoke again. "Now, does anyone else have a problem with this young boy, or shall I get him medical attention?" Failing any replies, I grabbed the boy and disappeared back into the trees.

"He's what?" The exclamation could be heard for almost a mile from the Hokage Tower.

"Disappeared, sir. A mob attacked him, but somebody came out of Training Ground 44, before defeating the mob leader and disappearing with the boy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, rubbing his head. "Do we have any idea where they might have taken the boy?"

"No, sir. Well, possibly Training Ground 44, but that's kind of ridiculous."

"You are a shinobi. There is no such thing as ridiculous, nor is there a such thing as impossible. There are only less likely possibilities. Assemble a team and search for the boy. We cannot risk losing him to some unknown force."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I will see it done."

* * *

Yay! Chapter two done! Of course, you eight people that read this already, you've read chapter two because I couldn't figure out how to put chapter two on a different chapter from chapter one. Nonetheless, this story is doing much better than my other story that I should really update soon, probably because more people like Naruto than Pokemon. *sigh* Anyway, R&R (Still need the self-esteem boost)! But no flames. Then the people who like it won't get to see the next chapter because I'll get so discouraged. And then you'll feel bad for ruining their lives, and then you'll stop writing, and then everyone who's life was ruined by your stopping writing will stop writing, and eventually the entire site will die. Do you want to be responsible for that? So anywho, R&R, or I will come find you to kill you. Maybe.


	3. Chapter 3

So now you arrive again in the world of The Pendulum Effect, where—

Naruto: Why haven't I gotten any screen time yet?

Because you're an annoying little brat at this point in the story. Anyway, you got mugged last chapter, so stop whining. You'll get your turn.

Naruto: But—

Stop whining. Anyway, for those of you who are confused on why this story has ended up in the Crossovers section, the readers who are "in the know" about the second category will understand immediately after reading the first scene.

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

300 years ago

* * *

I awoke in a forest, not knowing where I was, nor how I got there. Then, in a rush, everything returned to me. All that I knew from before, in my past lives. A thought occurred after I had gone through my memories, 'Why always in a forest? I always seem to appear in a forest, no matter how many times this happens.' I went off in a mental soliloquy along those lines for a while, before I began to truly take in my surroundings.

To the left, there was a small stream. To the right, and pretty much everywhere else, trees. The only thing that wasn't a tree nearby was a bush with some beautiful pink flowers on it next to the stream.

Standing, I realized that there was something… different about myself. Looking down at myself, I saw that I was covered in black and white fur, and only about two feet tall. On the back of my… paws, I think… there were strange metallic looking protrusions, and my ears—no, something else—must have been hanging at least halfway down my head. I walked over to the bush, wondering why it was the only non-tree vegetation in the area. I reached out to—

* * *

Three weeks ago

* * *

I sat bolt upright in my bed, ears twitching to locate the danger I had sensed that brought me out of my sleep. Extending my senses, I found that someone had been tracking along the path that I took to my new home. I assumed that they were from the vast cityscape I had seen before and that they were here for the boy. A soft growl escaped my lips; I would not allow that to happen, ever.

I ran downstairs to the door, reaching out to it to seal the outside with bark again. Then, I sat in a chair across from the door, waiting for the worst.

Eventually, I realized that I was in the form that I had worn those many years ago, probably due to the dream, and switched back before anyone (well, the boy, in any case) could see me.

Nonetheless, my wait was not long, for the person appeared outside the door to my home, just as I expected. I was surprised, however, when they began to hold their hands against my concealed door and, to my utter dismay, caused the bark that I had just grown to… un-grow, for lack of a better word. Then, they carefully opened the door, obviously wary of any traps I might have set.

Finally, they noticed me, sitting across from them in the dark chamber. Well, in all honesty, he probably noticed my eyes, since their pale blue glow was the main source of light in the room. We stayed there for a moment, watching each other warily, before I spoke.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" A blank stare was all I got in reply, however, before I realized that I must have been speaking the wrong language. I tried my limited Japanese next, asking the same question. I received an extremely quick fluid reply, but I simply couldn't understand enough of it. The bits I did catch, however, were "search" and "boy." After the man finished talking, I said the two simple words that (unknown to me at the time) would probably change the life of everyone in the village.

"Get out."

I held my hand in front of me, and then focused my energy into the wood around me, causing it to push the unknown man out of my house.

* * *

"Tenzo! Report!"

"I was unsuccessful in finding the boy, Lord Hokage. However, I did find a most interesting figure during my search."

"Continue."

"They were hidden inside one of the trees in the forest. I wouldn't have known they were there if it weren't for the fact that the trail ended there. They seem to have some level of control over something like the Mokuton, as they had grown bark over the door that they had made into the tree, and also caused the tree to force me out after I had explained what I was doing."

"Describe them."

"The person was about six feet tall, wearing a white robe. They had relatively pale skin and long white hair, in a braid behind them, and the most striking eyes. They were pale blue, but they actually glowed from within, sir."

"No… It can't be…" the Hokage murmured to himself. "Tenzo, leave me."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled open a drawer on his desk, before removing a relatively thin file, yellowing and coated with dust from neglect. He opened the folder, pulling out a single picture. The pencil lines and colors were faded with age, but the figure matched Tenzo's description perfectly.

"So… It is as you told us… you have returned…"

* * *

And scene! Who is this mysterious person?

Naruto: coughyourOCcough

Shut up, Naruto. What does their appearance in this world mean? How is it that Sarutobi knows about them? And—

Naruto: Why are you asking questions that the readers could ask you themselves?

*sigh* Point made, Naruto. You! Out there! Reading this story! If you like this story, you will review! This is not optional! If I don't get at least one review or favorite or something for this story, then you will not get any more! But if you favorite or vote on my poll, please give me a review that at least says why you did.

Even if you flame me I will post the next chapter, just to spite you for flaming! And then I shall use your flames to warm my home (Somebody forgot to pay the gas bill... again.)!

?: Hey, is this the end notes? I've been looking for this place since the last scene change!

Aaaand were out of time! Goodbye, everyone! R&R!

?: But I just got here!

You snooze you loose, dude.

?:But—

[Connection terminated]


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, my readers! I'm back, and I brought the longest ever chapter that I've written for this story with me!

?: Yeah! It was really fun to film, too! You won't believe what will happen when I—

*Punches in face* Shut up! No spoilers!

?: Ouch...

*Sigh* Sorry, he doesn't understand character-author interactions yet. Anyway, I apologize in advance for all the time skips in the chapter, but they were necessary.

And now, without further ado, I give you...

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Five years ago

* * *

I surfaced in the surprisingly deep plunge pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Climbing out onto relatively dry land, I laid down for a few minutes to catch my breath. Surprisingly, screaming as you fall a thousand feet is harder than it looks. I stood up, shaking off as much water as I could, before walking towards the town.

As I walked into the town, I got some pretty strange looks. But honestly, how would you react if you saw someone who was practically dressed in rags, sopping wet, and covered in scrapes and bruises from walking through a forest for a week and a half? Precisely. Not very well at all.

Gravitating towards the inn in my search for food, I almost stumbled over a small child. I apologized to them, before continuing on my way. A music store caught my eye during my quest, but the need for food called louder than curiosity.

Five minutes later, I was sitting down, eating a wonderful meal of steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes and peas. Just as I began tearing in to the pie, the child I had met before came up to me, and tugged on my… well, for simplicity's sake we'll call it a sleeve, but it was really just another rag. Anyway, they came up and tugged on my sleeve, and I looked down at them. I spoke in a voice hoarse from misuse.

"Yes?"

/Once you are finished, sir, my master would like to talk to you./

"Of course."

It wasn't until the boy had left that I realized he had spoken into my mind. When I did notice, I almost choked on my pie, but I recovered quickly and bolted the rest of my food. Leaving some payment on the bar, I left to locate the kid.

* * *

One week ago

* * *

With a gasp, I wrenched myself out of the flashback. So many things… I thought I had remembered everything that had already happened, but apparently not. I gazed at the still-sleeping boy in the bed I had made for him. I reached out towards him, still curious as to why he hadn't woken up. I laid my hand against his forehead, before pushing my consciousness into the boy.

* * *

Inside Naruto's mind.

* * *

I stood inside a corridor, with two doors in it, one on each wall; the first, dark, ominous, and forbidding; the second, bright, cheery, and welcoming. Preferring to see the good before the bad, I tried to open the door, but it was locked. Undeterred, I just picked the lock and walked in. What I saw on the other side was an extreme surprise.

Forests stretched in every direction, with huge trees and insanely large blades of grass. The trees were almost so tall as to lose the tops in the distance, and the grass must have been three times my height. Most astonishing of all, though, was a figure that I had not seen for years, looking just as they had when I last saw them.

"Kurama? Is that really you?"

"WHO ARE YOU, MORTAL, AND WHY DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?"

Obviously, somebody had gotten a superiority complex in the past three hundred years.

"I'm hurt that you don't recognize me, Kurama. I played games with you almost every day when we were young. Have you forgotten your good friend Xi?"

"WH-WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"How could you forget your good friend Xi, Kurama? It may have been a while since we evolved and I disappeared, but we were still such great friends."

"I– I– I DON'T BELIEVE IT! IT REALLY IS YOU!"

"Yes, it really is me. So, can you make me bigger or you smaller so that your voice doesn't sound so loud?"

(AN: I just couldn't stand writing in all caps anymore…)

There was a sudden sense of distortion in the soul room, before I was correctly proportioned to everything. I shook my head a little to clear it, before talking to my old friend.

"So, what on earth are you doing inside this child?"

"It was a misunderstanding. People thought I was a demon, and used some ability to hold me inside their bodies and use my power at will. Almost like those dreadful contraptions from so long ago, but worse. I never got out, and the one time I did, I was put under a strong hypnosis and forced to attack the village this boy lives in."

"I see. I'll go check on him now, then. He was attacked by a mob two weeks ago and hasn't woken up yet. I assume his healing speed is due largely to you?"

"Yes, I do what I can."

"Alright, now to see the boy. Umm… where's the door?"

"Right behind you," was my old friend's chuckled reply.

I turned and left Kurama's soul room, before crossing the hallway to the dark doorway. To think that a mere child had had such a life to make their soul room look like this just from the outside… it was positively horrifying.

* * *

Two weeks ago

* * *

"Tenzo, report."

"All teams sent to retrieve the boy have been incapacitated and returned to the main gate of Training Ground 44."

A soft sigh escaped the lips of the Sandaime Hokage. "Fine. All teams still remaining are to be withdrawn from the search and reassigned to normal duty."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Permission granted."

"Sir, I believe you're hiding something about the target. I don't mean Naruto, but that man that is protecting him. With all due respect, sir, if we are to eventually resume searches, it would be best if the teams sent to search knew everything we can about the target so that we may prepare."

Another soft sigh. "I can't tell you now, but in due time you will know more about him. All I can tell you is that the village has encountered him before, yet later."

"I don't understand, sir."

"You will, eventually. Dismissed."

Without another word, Tenzo disappeared from the office. Hiruzen buried his heada in his hands, with a mutter of, "I'm getting too old for this."

* * *

Back in Naruto's mind, one week ago

* * *

As I opened the door, I was hit with a blast of cold air and rain, but I pushed forward through it to locate the boy's consciousness.

I found myself surrounded by a hurricane over a barren landscape in the boy's soul room, but it didn't seem to work like a normal storm. It seemed to be pushing everything away from the center, instead of spinning around it. I forged onwards through the increasing winds towards where I assumed the boy would be.

Finally, I pushed through a veritable wall of wind to fall into the eye of the storm. I stood up; looking at the small oasis of peace, I was again astounded by what there was.

A fortress rose up into the sky directly in the middle of the storm, and it was shut up tighter than… something shut up really tight. It had such a dark vibe to it that I truly wondered if this was where the boy's subconscious lived… but if it was, I wondered what horrors had happened to him to cause it. I stepped up to the main gate, and as I approached, it opened. Then, I entered the fortress of the boy's mind.

* * *

Naruto: Hey, Zenog?

Yes?

Naruto: Why didn't I get any screen time... again?

You got screen time in this chapter! Right after "One week ago"!

Naruto: For two sentences!

Xi: Don't worry, you're scripted for a major scene next chapter. I get to actually meet you in story!

Naruto: But all I did was lay on an uncomfortable bed for a scene.

Xi: Are you dissing my bed-making skills?

Naruto: Yes, I am!

Guys, is this really necessary? The readers can still see us.

Xi: My bed-making skills may be bad, but your cannon ninjutsu sucks! You only have six jutsu before Shippuden, and three of them are the academy jutsu, one of which you can't do! And one of your jutsus is just a pervy henge!

Naruto: Oh yeah? Well your Au—

*Punches in face* Like I said at the beginning! Shut up! No spoilers! *Turns to Xi* And you! I'm ashamed of your actions! You, as an OC, are meant to be an extension of me, the Author. Your unscripted disgraceful behavior in the presence of the readers has tarnished my reputation!

Xi: But—

*Punches in face* I don't care! Now that that's been dealt with, I would like to respectfully ask my readers to—

Xi: So... much... pain...

*Curb stomps Xi* As I was saying, I will take requests for OC civilians and ninjas, as well as jutsus. Here is the format for OCs:

Name:

Age:

Physical Description:

Personality:

Jutsus (If ninja):

For jutsus, just the name and what it does are fine.

[Connection Terminated]


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, my faithful readers, as well as you other people who are reading this! I come bearing gifts! Yes, that's right, a brand new chapter!

Crickets: *chirp* *chirp*

Wow. Tough crowd. Anyway, today is the moment you've all been waiting for: Naruto's not unconscious for the entire chapter!

Naruto: Yeah, but I am unconscious for-

*Knees in stomach* I told you yesterchapter! No spoilers! Oh, yes! You'll also find something very... peculiar... about the leadership of Konoha(gakure no Sato), but I'll let you figure that out on your own.

So, without further ado, give to you...

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Naruto's mind, one week ago

* * *

As soon as I had entered, the doors slammed shut behind me, before fusing into a solid wall of stone, trapping me. I assumed that there would only be one path to the boy's inner self, but I was proven wrong. Three doorways were before me, each one less inviting than the last. As the intrepid explorer that I once was, I opened the least inviting door and followed the path through progressively dark and gloomy paths. One could feel the slight downward slant of all the halls, but it made no sense until I was at a point I knew to be below the fortress: the sewers.

Well, sewer doesn't really do them justice. It was more of a giant storm drain system than anything else. I stepped out of the hallway onto a ledge next to the water channel and followed it along to the left. The system eventually opened up to a large room with huge bars running vertically, floor to ceiling, through the middle. And there, in the exact center of the room, on a small platform raised above the water, was the boy. I stepped out into the room and across to the boy. As I approached I could hear quiet sobbing. I reached out to the boy, and began to shake him to get his attention.

"Hello? Are you all right?"

The sobbing figure stopped, before turning over and, in a voice as soft as a whisper, replied, "You don't want hurt me?"

This stirred up my anger, but I repressed it before I could involuntarily do any lasting damage in the boy's mind. "No, I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help you, but first you need to wake up."

"I'm asleep?"

"Kind of. I'll explain it to you after you wake up. Follow me."

I led the boy up and out of the fortress, before continuing back across the barren plains outside to the soul door. I stepped into the corridor, and the boy came with me. I brought him to the door that led out of his mind, and we walked out through it together into my house.

* * *

Xi's tree house

* * *

The boy suddenly shot up out of the bed, promptly bumping his head into my hand. Then, in a voice that was slightly hoarse from disuse over the past two weeks, the boy spoke to me.

"Moshimoshi? Daremoga aru nodeshou ka?"

Well. That would certainly complicate things. They just had to speak Japanese—the one language I never learned to speak fluently—wherever we were. I called on my training from last time, and spoke telepathically to the boy.

/I'm sorry, I can't speak Japanese. I'm speaking directly into your mind right now, so you can understand me. Just think your replies to me and I will understand./

(AN: For simplicity's sake, I'm going to write their mind conversations in quotation marks. However, Xi will not be actually speaking until he learns Japanese fluently… eventually.)

"Umm… Who are you, and why can't I see you?"

"I'm Xi, the person from your dream. I'm sorry that you can't see; my eyes are more accustomed to low-light environments than yours, so I don't need it to be very bright to see."

"…What?" came the confused reply.

"I can see in the dark better than you."

"Oh! Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"I like fancy words."

"Right… So can you teach me how to be a ninja? You can talk into my head and see in the dark, so you must be able to do other cool stuff too, right? Could you teach me? Please?"

The boy then proceeded to make the dreaded "cutsie eyes of doom" at me, which would have been much more effective, I'm sure, if he had even been facing my direction. As it was, he was making said face at the wall directly opposite me, so it had little effect other than to make me chuckle.

"Yes, I will teach you. Even if you hadn't made that face, I would have taught you. You need to be able to defend yourself the next time something like that happens."

The boy proceeded to jump into the air cheering, before slipping on the rug and knocking himself unconscious in the process. 'Kids these days… they never can stay quiet'

* * *

Uchiha Compound

* * *

A dark haired boy with black eyes sneezed, before hurrying after his older brother to look for footprints.

"Itachi-aniki! Wait for me!"

* * *

Hokage's office

* * *

Danzo Shimura, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato (AN: I'll explain later), rubbed his forehead in an attempt to stall the migraine he was developing.

"So, let me get this straight. A mob attacked Naruto, and then a figure came in and carted him off—"

"Yes, milord."

"I wasn't finished talking, Neko-san. So, this figure has now been successful in repelling and incapacitating multiple teams of ANBU and is living in the Forest with the boy?"

"That would be what happened, Hokage-sama."

"That's just wonderful. Kaji! Tenzo! Get in here this instant!"

Two figures wearing masks—one with a cat mask with red and green markings, and one with a plain mask with the kanji for "fire" on it—appeared in the middle of the room next to Neko.

"Yes, Danzo?"

Danzo frowned at this show of disrespect. "Kaji, while you wear the mask, I am your superior, not your friend from the Academy."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I apologize for my rude behavior."

"It's fine, just don't do it again. Now, the reason I called you here: Kaji, I would like to know why, as commander of the village's ANBU forces, you have withdrawn from an effort to retrieve the Kyuubi's container. I would also like to know why you, Tenzo, as Kaji's right-hand man, why you did not advise him against it. The Kyuubi is a great asset to the village and cannot be lost to any unknown forces. Withdrawing from the search is borderline treason. Give me one reason why I shouldn't exile you both and mark you as missing-nin or have you executed."

"Forty-two," came the soft reply of Kaji.

"What?"

"Forty-two, sir. It's the number of teams that we have sent since the container disappeared; one every four hours. It's also the number of teams that have been incapacitated and delivered to the edge of the Forest by one single person. We are clearly outmatched in this mission, and I would prefer not to lose any more men in this venture. They are all in some sort of coma and have not woken up yet. Not one of them."

"I see. So you mean to tell me that this person has single-handedly defeated almost two hundred ANBU on their own, and our village knows nothing of them?"

"Yes and no, sir. Yes, they have defeated two hundred ANBU, but the village does know who they are, even if they don't know who we are."

"Elaborate."

Kaji reached into one of the pockets on his flak jacket, and pulled out a file, handing it to Danzo. He opened the file, before reading it slowly, with his face showing more shock as he went further down the page.

"I see. You and Tenzo are dismissed."

After they had left, he turned to the remaining ANBU in the room. "You, however, Neko-san, need to step up the training of the troops. If one person can defeat that many ANBU, think on how that reflects on your training regimen. Dismissed."

The Godaime Hokage buried his head in his hands, muttering to himself, "I understand why Hiruzen-senpai retired… I'm getting too old for this."

* * *

And scene. I remember that in one of my earlier drafts of an earlier chapter I actually had Sarutobi bury his head in his hands and say, "I'm getting too old for this," but I couldn't find it. Ah well. I'll just leave you hanging on why Danzo has ended up in charge for now though, because I'm actually very evil on the inside.

Xi: Because Hiruzen-kun retired?

Shut up! You haven't even met either of them yet in your timeline! You can only talk to them because this place has no fourth wall or plot!

Xi: Still...

Say one more word and I will make your training of Naruto even worse than it has to be.

Xi: *Closes mouth and nods*

Good. Now, my readers, you may leave. JUST REVIEW! IS IT ACTUALLY THAT MUCH TO ASK FOR? UNLESS I GET A REVIEW THAT ACTUALLY SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THE STORY THAT IS POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! I'LL JUST FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO HIDE MY STORY ON THE INTERNET.

Thank you for reading my angry rant.

[Connection Terminated]


	6. Chapter 6

[Receiving Transmission]

So, out of pity for my readers and because my traffic graph is running dangerously low on daily hits, I bring you chapter six of The Pendulum Effect. Be warned, however, that this chapter is slightly shorter than usual due to my lack of helpful reviews and since my creativity is currently running on fumes.

Sorry, nothing interesting for this chapter's opening notes.

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

One week ago

* * *

"So, sensei, what are you going to teach me first? How to shoot lightning? Teleportation? Seal-making? C'mon, tell me, tell me, tell me!" An enthusiastic young boy was sitting down on a tree stump in a clearing, barely keeping still, while an androgynous figure dressed in white stood in front of him.

"No, Naruto, I will be teaching you something very different indeed. I shall teach you…" The figure drew out the silence. "…how to make and play a musical instrument."

The boy on the stump was obviously not pleased with this answer. "Music? You're going to teach me music? How will that help me?" the boy practically shouted at the figure.

In reply, the figure handed the boy a leaf off the ground, and took out a violin. They began to play a haunting melody on it, and all was ordinary until the sound of a second violin joined it. Then, all hell started to break loose.

The wind began to swirl around the clearing, picking up leaves and other debris as it went, whipping it all into a tornado around the two.

Then, a third violin began to play, and rain began falling, though none of it hit the two, instead being sucked into the vortex.

A fourth, and fire sprang from the earth, turning it into a firestorm.

A fifth and final violin joined the chaos, and the fire all flew towards the boy.

Then, all was silent in the clearing again. Not a single thing outside of it was even so much as charred, nor was anything inside it save for the ring where it had all been traveling and the leaf in the boy's hand. Both were now ashes.

The boy's jaw dropped in astonishment. "I… I… I…"

'Wow, even his thoughts are stuttering. He must be rather impressed.' (AN: Remember, it's all telepathic at this point) Finally, though, Naruto managed to form a coherent thought.

"That was AWESOME! I think I might want to learn to do that!"

"Good. What instrument will you play?"

Naruto, after many long moments of careful consideration (meaning none at all), exclaimed, "The flute! I'll learn it, and I'll be awesome, and I'll be able to blow stuff up with music, and that's awesome, and that means I'm awesome, and—"

A quick slap to the face silenced Naruto before the figure continued. "Good. Now that we've decided on that, I'll get you some wood for it. While I'm gone, don't get eaten by the other inhabitants of this forest, okay?"

* * *

Xi's point of view

* * *

As I walked away from the clearing with Naruto in it, I whispered to one of the birds sitting outside of it. "Spread the word. Act like you're trying to kill him, but don't. Just keep him on his toes while I'm gone, and stop right before I arrive."

The bird nodded and flew off, before I continued on my way to get the wood for a flute, chuckling at the horrors that awaited Naruto in my absence.

* * *

Naruto's point of view

* * *

As soon as sensei had left the clearing, it seemed like the entire forest was trying to attack me. Huge birds were dive-bombing me, though due to my practice dodging rotten food and cooking utensils I could avoid them easily. The issue wasn't even the wolves, snakes, giant lizards, and other ground-based foes that were after me.

No, the problem was the trees.

The trees moved and blocked all escape routes with branches and roots, leaving me trapped in there with all the animals. The branches even moved to hit me, but since I couldn't see muscles tensing I couldn't predict where they would go. The trees ended up giving me the biggest beating out of all there was in the clearing, before sensei showed up.

Right before he showed up, the trees unblocked the pathways, and my attackers all dispersed into the forest. As soon as he saw me all bruised and beaten in the middle of the clearing, he broke out laughing.

"You look like somebody tried to eat you and ran away afterward! How did that happen in the five minutes I was gone? I would've heard that from where I was right over there."

He then gestured to another clearing no more than thirty feet away with a small cherry tree growing in the center, extremely out of place amidst the giants we stood amongst. Then, he spoke again, while extending a piece of perfectly straight cherry wood to me. "Here. You will make your flute out of this, and I will teach you how to use it afterward."

As the man walked back towards the house, I said to him, "So, how exactly do I make a flute?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it out," was the nonchalant—and extremely unhelpful—reply. He disappeared into the forest again before I could throw something at him, so I sat; trying to figure out how to make the piece of wood I had into a flute.

Yeah, right.

* * *

Undisclosed location

* * *

Two yellow eyes opened in the darkness.

"So… He has returned to this troubled land… Ku ku ku… I'll enjoy this…"

* * *

Undisclosed location

* * *

A man glanced at a young boy next to him with a questioning look. The boy nodded, before holding out a violin to the man. The man nodded in return while taking the violin, and then turned to look out over the sea towards the sun.

'I'm glad to have you back, brother.'

* * *

And scene! Glad that that's over, it was kind of difficult to write.

{Angry rant warning. But make sure you read it if you want to know why I've stopped posting after today.}

Also, I'll say it here, but it's the first thing on my profile as well:

I will not post any more of this story.

Go ahead, read it again. Yes, I am not continuing the posting of this story, despite being two chapters ahead of you. Under two circumstances and two circumstances only will I post the next chapter:

I must be in a good mood, and YOU must provide me with at least three (3) constructive reviews of some sort.

If both don't happen at the same time, I will not post the next chapter, simple as that. Oh, and by constructive, I mean reviews that aren't just "Cool story," "Keep writing," "I like this," or (and this one is a direct quote), "OmgOmgO...M...GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EE!" They're not helpful at all, and can be really annoying since I don't know what you actually think of the story or what you don't like. I mean, that last one was basically just spam, and spam is only good for baking and improvised flamethrowers, and I don't bake.

About the only helpful review I've gotten is that my chapters being so short makes it hard to read, but that was from before I instated this rule. Also, for anyone who'd look, I also have polls open as well that can help YOU determine what will happen later on in the story. So, do you really want to just lose this story forever, or do you want to see it continue?

Last chapter I maxed out at 30 viewers and 32 views between them, not to mention that I got 79 viewers with 159 views that same day. It's obvious that people like this story, otherwise I wouldn't have had that huge spike the day I posted my new chapter. So at least have the courtesy to review and say why you like it and what I could do better.

{End rant}

So, I think that that rant actually makes this one of my longest chapters so far word count-wise, so thanks for making me angry enough to vent at you guys (not). So, on your way out, leave a review, or you may never see what happens in the rest of the story.

[Connection Terminated]


	7. Chapter 7

[Incoming transmission]

As promised, after enough reviews accumulated, here is...

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

A man strode out onto a platform in the center of a tall, cylindrical room, before calling out a single word, "Root!"

Instantly, hundreds of masked faces surrounded him, looking up expectantly.

"It has come to my attention that the Kyuubi's jinchuriki has been kidnapped and is currently being held in Training Ground 44. Now is an opportune moment to obtain the Kyuubi's power, as there is only one person guarding him.

"You four," the man pointed to a Hyuuga, an operative from Suna, a swordsman, and one taijutsu specialist, "are to go and find the jinchuriki, kill the watcher, and bring the jinchuriki back to me. Go."

The four assigned disappeared again, and with a short, "Dismissed," from the man, everyone else did as well.

"Let's see how this person deals with my Root instead of the normal ANBU…"

* * *

The Forest of Death

* * *

I was out gathering food when I felt it. As if in response, the entire forest around me went silent as well, allowing me to pinpoint the incoming danger with ease. I stepped back about a foot, and a blast of pressurized air whizzed past right in front of me, where my head had been. I would've called out to taunt my attacker, but I knew it was pointless, as everyone spoke Japanese here.

I continued walking calmly with the food past the trench dug by the blast, and waited for another attack to come. My attacker, obviously not one to disappoint, began firing blast after blast of pressurized air at me, all of which I dodged with ease. That was the problem with air-based attacks; sure, they were great at cutting through things, but the power required to keep them in shape made them slow and cumbersome in comparison to a flamethrower. Fire just needed power to burn, not to stay in any given shape. The more power put into it, the hotter the flame; the hotter the flame, the quicker it consumed the oxygen around it; the quicker the oxygen was consumed the quicker it expanded.

A figure dropping down in front of me brought me out of my internal soliloquy for long enough to dismiss them as a low-level threat, before continuing on towards my house, now dodging two sets of attacks. When concentrated beams of aura started flying at me, I placed the food by the base of a tree, called to the inhabitants to protect it, and began to run away.

Sure, big, cumbersome attacks like the massive sword the one had or the air blasts from the other were easy enough to dodge because I could sense them coming. But aura, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. It is basically just life-force, and it's difficult to sense the change in the flow of life-force when you're in a forest as old as this one. So instead I just entrusted my safety to insane speeds and unpredictable patterns.

Eventually, though, I was forced to stop due to getting trapped in a box canyon deep in the forest. The only way out was straight back through my attackers, but that was an option that was just right out. The only other way out would be straight up and out over the top of the walls, and that was just impossible while keeping high speeds and dodging as well. As I went over my options, I recalled the day that I received the items that would spell these people's destruction

* * *

Flashback, eight days ago

* * *

I sat next to the bed of the boy I had rescued from the mob; he still hadn't woken up since then. I was going to attempt to do a mind dive to see what had happened to his psyche, when I heard a melody that I hadn't heard for a long, long time. As I stepped outside, in a flash of light, a wooden box appeared in the center of the clearing. I opened it, just for confirmation, before closing it with a smile. Everything was there, even the holsters and spare. It was like a dream come true, or finding a long-lost friend.

'Now… Now we can have fun here…'

* * *

End flashback

* * *

I was cornered, and my pursuers knew it. But even with only my instrument and a spare bow, I could still beat them. Everyone knows that an animal is most dangerous when cornered.

The strange masked assailants dropped down all around me. I pulled out my spare bow, waiting for the right moment to attack. Then, an opportunity presented itself

The first just jumped straight at me. I held out the magically strengthened bow towards his body, and his throat was impaled on the end of it, until I kicked the now corpse off. I turned towards the rest of my enemies, just in time for one of them to finish making a series of symbols with their hands. They shouted something in Japanese—really hating myself for not learning it yet—that I didn't understand, before I felt a huge wall of wind throw me backwards, and through some of the trees all around us.

I flipped upright, and threw my bow towards the man with outstanding speed and unerring accuracy. The sharpened metal point passed through his skull like a hot knife through butter, pushing him back and sticking him to the tree ten feet behind him. I rushed up and grabbed the bow before turning to the remaining two attackers. The pupil-less eyes of the one unnerved me slightly, but I held my ground.

The taller one drew a massive sword, and rushed me with surprising speed. Still using the bow, I blocked each strike with lightning fast reflexes, before slamming him in the side of the head with the same item. He crumpled to the ground, but I couldn't tell whether he was merely unconscious or in fact dead. The last attacker—and I say that loosely, since he didn't "attack" per se—stared at me, obviously marveling at how I had defeated their entire team with just a violin bow. I exerted all the will I could muster to establish a mental link so that I could speak directly into their mind. A side effect of this level of mental link, though, was that I could see their thoughts, no matter how much I didn't want to.

_Who are you, and what do you want with me?_

Over the temporary mental link I had established, I felt surprise, shock, and a touch of anger. But I still learned my answer.

The boy. They were after the boy, just like everyone else that came to this forsaken forest other than the crazy woman who liked snakes too much for her own good. I felt anger rising inside myself, before I ripped the man's mind to shreds.

Of course, not before pulling out all the knowledge of Japanese that they had. There's more than one way to learn a language.

* * *

Scene! Now I know you're all kind of angry-

Naruto: What the heck, man? No screen time AGAIN? It's almost like you care more about your OC than me, the actual cannon character!

Xi: Of course he cares more about me! I'm an author insert, so I therefore outrank you on screen priority as long as I don't go all Gary Stuart on the audience.

However, if you both don't shut up, I may be driven to suicide and then neither of you will matter anymore. So shut up. Anyway, I know all my fans out there, few though they are, are angry with me for not posting this, but I did give you a warning at the end of last chapter. Anyway, as always, R&R. And it's only one good review for a new chapter on a randomly selected one of my four stories that I have up now, just so you know.

[Connection terminated]


End file.
